Intel may power next generation of “$100 laptop”

Intel is in talks to speed up the processor of the “$100 laptop” for children in developing countries, reports PC World.

Presently the laptop, designed and distributed by the nonprofit One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project, is powered by Advanced Micro Devices Inc.’s 433MHz Geode LX-700, a chip that is slow by mainstream standards but consumes little power and is cheaper.

Intel is said to be designing a new chip “based on either existing mobile chips, such as modified versions of the Celeron M called A100 and A110, or Silverthorne, an upcoming processor designed for small, mobile computers,” according to PC World. However it is still unclear whether the new Intel chip will be cost-effective for the entry-level OLPC laptop, known as the “XO”. PC World says the chip giant may be aiming for a so-far-unannounced version of the OLPC, a model that would be used in urban areas where better infrastructure is available.

“I can imagine there will be a family of laptops in terms of processor power and maybe there will be a larger form factor for older kids,” said Walter Bender, OLPC’s president, in a telephone interview with PC World.

In July OLPC announced its “$100 laptop” was ready to go into mass production after it received orders for 3 million machines, the requisite number to make the project viable. A production run of 300 machines was completed in August.

The first generation of the machines will cost about $175 each. OLPC will sell the PCs to education ministries in an effort to get the computers in the hands of some world’s poorest children.

The laptops have been billed as a durable low-cost PC for students in developing countries. The project has received support from Google, AMD, Brightstar, News Corporation, Quanta Computer, Microsoft, Intel, and Red Hat. The laptop, which was tested by the U.S. State Department last November, is WiFi- and cell phone-enabled, and can be powered using a hand-crank. It is designed to be used in harsh environments such as remote rural areas in developing countries. The weather-proof laptops will available in some 30 colors.

Some American computer manufacturers have expressed concern that OLPC laptops could end up in U.S. schools, creating fierce competition in the domestic PC market.

The laptop has faced other criticism, notably from some development experts who say that developing countries should not be asked to foot the bill for what is an unproven technology. Nevertheless the OLPC computer has won acclaim from the U.N. and the U.S. state department.